Moistening apparatus for flat surfaces



March 30, FRUCKl MOISTENING APPARATUS FOR FLAT SURFACES Filed Feb. 2, 1952 VIII/11111111101115;

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 30, 1954 ATENT OFFICE MOISTENING APPARATUS FOR FLAT SURFACES I Alfred Frucki, New York, N. Y. Application February 2, 1952, Serial No. 269,670

4 Claims.

ation. Moreover, in the sponge varieties, faulty operation occurs due to the accumulation of excessiv moisture at the operating surface. The

and efiiciently be performed by inverting the moistener and having it relative to the surface to be moistened.

excessive quantity of water.

Consequently, the objects of this invention are to provide a device which will not be subject to the defects enumerated in the above.

More specifically,

A still further object of this invention relates to providing a dew moistener of the latter type in which the moistening element has an inclined water contact area, thereby causing a more uniform feed of water to the operating surface.

Other objects and structural details will be apparent from the subjoined description taken in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the moistener assembly.

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views thru 2-2 and 33 as indicated in Figure l depicting a particular species.

Figure 4 is a view showing the mode of operation in connection with a large area.

Figure 5 is another sectional view showing a preferred form of moistening element.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the device i shown to comprise the rectangular casing l0 containing the water supply II and sealed at the top by th cover [2 formed centrally with assembly l3. Obviously the casing II) can be made in any desired shape without altering the operation. To form the assembly [3, a series of parallel plates M. are placed closely adjacent one another extending tening surface [5 is presented externally of the casing cover [2. The small clearance between the plates produces an effect known as capillary action, the magnitude of which varies with the clearance magnitude. Consequently the quantity of water occurring at surface I5 depends upon the clearances l6. Empirically, a clearance of .006 of an inch has been found to be most desirable.

Cover I2 is formed with shaped to snugly fit the upper periphery I 8 of the casing ill. water supply, one merely removes the cover l2 and fill the interior with Water to any level desired.

Materials such as brass, aluminum, Bakelite and other plastics are especially desirable vertical surface 20 connected to the bottom horizontal surface 2|. By the inclination or taper of surface is water can more readily penetrate to all portions of the spaces between the plates, thereby causing a more uniform moistening of surface 15. Moreover the taper causes the influx of water to occur at varying water levels. Since grit and sediment tend to accumulate near the casing bottom, the inclination of surface 19 tends to diminish the intake of such sediment. Such an effect is desirable since sediment can clog the clearances Hi.

In the preferred form of Figure ,5, the plate assembly 22 is provided with two inclined surfaces 23 and 24 leading to the vertical elongation 25. By the provision of two inclined surfaces, the beneficial effects above described are enhanced. Moreover, due to the symmetry created by the two inclined surfaces, the capillary action takes place more uniformly.

In operation, as seen in Figure 2, the object 25 to be wetted is drawn across the surface IS. The capillary effect is sufiicient to cause water to be drawn to surface Hi. If a larger surface is to be moistened, the device is inverted as shown in Figure 4, and drawn across the object surface 21.

It is apparent that the above described device performs the dew moistening operation efficiently, reduces evaporation losses to a minimum, is durable and can be fabricated economically and simply.

It is also desired that it be understood that numerous changes in dimension, form and material may be resorted to within the confines of the inventive concept and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A dew moistener comprising a container with a water supply, the container being sealed by a removable cover, said cover comprising a moistening element formed by a series of parallel closely adjacent plates extending from beneath the water surface upward through the cover and projecting thereabove, presenting a smooth surface whereby water is drawn from the container interior to the said surface, the lowermost plate portions being inclined relative to the water surface.

2. A dew moistener as in claim 1, wherein the plates exposed to the water form an inclined surface tapering from a wide portion at the upper end, to a narrow portion at the lower end.

3. A dew moistener as in claim 2, wherein there are two such inclined surfaces tapering towards each other at the lower end.

4. A dew moistener as in claim 3, wherein the plate portions extending above the cover surface are bevelled at the edges to taper smoothly into the cover surface.

ALFRED FRUCKI.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

